Just had to let you know that National HERB Week is the first week of May.

"A(n) herb is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like.

The green, leafy part of the plant is often used, but herbal medicine makes use of the roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (cambium), berries and sometimes the pericarp or other portions."

As per the International Herb Association, the 2013 HERB of the YEAR is the Elderberry.

Music-wise:

Elton John released a song in 1973 called Elderberry Wine. (Lyrics: Bernie Taupin; music Elton John)

The Rolling Stones released a song in 1974 called "Till the Next Goodbye" on the "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" album which features the line, "You give me a cure-all from New Orleans/Now that's a recipe I sure do need./Some cider vinegar and some elderberry wine/could cure all your ills but it can't kill mine."

Well, in honor of Herb Week, tonight I will listen to some Jimi Hendrix and some Robin Trower and have some herbal...tea.

Yes, that's what HERB week is all about. Celebrate. Have a cookie with your "tea" -- go wild, man!

Catnip is a great herb, but must be used sparingly. In fact, I have some new herb that goes wtih a new scratchin' mechanism, and that will mean my kitties can celebrate HERB Week in style, too. Cannot wait to surprise them.

As I am the chief reptile here, I can never be wrong in the year of the snake.

Who ever heard of "the year of the elderberry?"...it's a little nuts to have a year dedicated to an herb. Kind of like "Secretarys Day" , what is damn important about a "secretary" that they should have a day?....Plumbers and waitresses don't have a day, or did I miss something?

But , let's keep this discussion about music ( at least loosely), Simon and Garfunkel sang about Parsley, Sage , Rosemary and Thyme.....when I first heard this song , I was just a kid and thought "Rosemary" was a woman, and the last word was "time." I thought surely that Paul Simon was surely using another type of "herb."

Okay, who is this Herb? Must be from a TV show that I never watched. WOOOSH! (right over my head).

I have to get up early tomorrow morning for my excursion to herb central. Peace. :)

That was Herb from the show WKRP in Cincinnatti.And yes,Bailey was much hotter than Jennifer.

I've been celebrating Herb Week since 4/20

Thanks. I never watched "WKRP in Cincinnati" but it must have been a good comedy.

4/20 (Earth Day?) was eclipsed by the Marathon bombing this year, but I'm glad that there was a low-key 'celebration' for some.

As promised, I gave my kitties a new scratch post; to help them 'chisten' it, I accompanied the gift with their usual "blend" of herb. FUN was had by all.

As I mentioned, I give catnip very sparingly, as there can be drawbacks from it. In addition to health reasons, my kitties act like they are hallucinating half of their waking hours anyhow, and hardly need catnip in the first place. :)

Catnip is a great herb, but must be used sparingly. In fact, I have some new herb that goes wtih a new scratchin' mechanism, and that will mean my kitties can celebrate HERB Week in style, too. Cannot wait to surprise them.

Ah, Kitty Cocaine. They go nuts and rub themselves all over it, then get a little mean when it wears off....

I've noticed that Valerian Root - also not an 'herb' - is like crack for cats, in comparison. (When a human ingests it, it works like a sleeping pill). I once left a bottle out and later found my cat wrestling with it on the floor.

I opened the bottle and let her sniff it - immediately purring, rolling around on the carpet, stretching her arms out, etc. She definitely enjoyed it. After a minute, she was begging for more and/or trying to get the cabinet open once I put it away.

There also seemed to be more hallucinatory behavior from the valerian than catnip, and more of a kitty-comedown.

Have to keep that stuff locked up now.

However, in past years, she has been known to steal and eat some of a certain other 'herb' if she spied a chance, with no ill effects. Just more purring and laziness than usual....

I couldn't agree more re: the care that must be taken with 'herbs' and cats. That's interesting re: the natural sedative. I had read about herbs and pets a long time ago (we had pets for years when I was a kid), and have always lived by that conservative rule. I store catnip in the freezer, that way there's no worry they can get to it.

They are very wily, but opening the freezer is above their paygrade. :)

BTW, the American Craft Beer Fest is also in May, at the end of the month. May is quite the month to escape reality; turns out, May is a very cool month.